Thursday, December 20, 2012

Apocalypse Nowish...?

December 21, 2012. The end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar.

It's hard to believe that day is almost here. Even when that movie with John Cusack came out, we still had another three years to go. Now it's tomorrow. Not even the day after tomorrow! In just over an hour we'll know if The End of The World is upon us, or if the human race will continue to watch Survivor and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

It's pretty quiet out there right now. The weather's drizzly and unpleasant, but that could be any day in England. I've got a horrible feeling that 12/21/12 is going to be a day like any other.

Yes, horrible! I've been anticipating this day for years now, with books and movies and specials on the Discovery Channel fueling my imagination, and there were times when I wondered if the worst might actually happen.

I'm no stranger to the End of Days, having written Epoch, my very own version of it. Complete and utter worldwide destruction in the year 2012 seemed a lot more plausible when I wrote that novel back in 2005. Now that the day is almost here, I can't help but feel a little silly for giving the idea any credence.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be very grateful for the chance to continue living if the apocalypse fails to materialize yet again. Nevertheless, unless we get at least an asteroid near-miss, I'm going to feel just a tad disappointed.

Consider this: if The End does come tomorrow, how cruel is it that it's a Friday? You bust your butt all week at your job, only to go extinct before the weekend! F*$#ing Mayans.

As of now, there is less than an hour to go until December 21. That is, less than an hour in my neck of the woods. By now, that fateful day has already arrived for most of the people on the planet. With the Internet being the speedy source of info that it is, if India or China or Europe or Australia were facing Armageddon, I'm sure we would have heard something. Even Megiddo seems pretty quiet.

Of course, just because we've had thousands of years of advance notice doesn't mean the end won't come without warning. Ever hear of a rogue comet? Neither had I until I read about them just now. They're like regular comets except dirtier, which makes them harder to spot. One could be on its way right now... Or maybe that supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park will erupt. Or aliens might invade. Or zombies. Everyone loves zombies!

Just in case the worst doesn't happen, here's a link to the Apocamix, a "mashup of Hollywood's best end-of-the-world scenes" by Eclectic Method. Enjoy!